This year the Puyallup School District again held its elementary school track meet.  With Daniel off to junior high school, David was the only Averill participating.  He ran in the 4×100 relay and also the 800 meter.  These events are always tremendous fun – not so much for what happens in the races, but mainly for the interactions with all the kids.  And David is so very social that he is an absolute blast to watch all day.

After David ran the 800 (video below), he was speaking with the superintendent, who later shared with me that he got a kick out of his conversation with David because, while they were talking there was a line of junior high girls at the fence saying, “Hi David” and pretty much insisting on getting his attention.  It seems everybody knows this kid!

Click the photo to see more from this great day.

Aylen track team

Daniel had his first season of Junior High track and he LOVED IT!!!  He is such a gifted runner (so is David, but we’ll get to him) and he seems to get stronger as the races get longer.  The longest junior high races are 1600 meters (1 mile).  For the first couple track meets, seventh-graders are only allowed to run Junior Varsity; after that, it’s whatever they qualify for.  Varsity and J.V. run at the same time so sometimes it’s confusing to watch.  In the first race, Daniel finished first overall.  He explained that it was because one of his teammates – a fast 9th grader – was unable to compete that day.

For the second race, you need to watch the video.  With good competition from the 9th grader mentioned above, Daniel finished in under 5 minutes!  I won’t spoil the race results, but it comes down to the end.  I will say that both boys established new Personal Records in this race.  Take 5 minutes and watch.

Meanwhile, David competed in the Elementary Track Meet (there’s only one for the district).  Although there are some good runners, David’s size and Ethiopian heritage render the race one in which the rest of the competitors can only hope to come in second (in the 800).  He runs hard and only tries to beat the clock (which really means the others will finish far off in the distance).  Click on the picture at the top to see a select set of pictures.  You’ll find the boys running, watching/cheering teammates, talking with the Superintendent (who takes a very strong interest in the boys – he’s super supportive), and generally having a good time.  David’s 800 meter video is posted below.

Daniel is always adventurous.  One of the things we admire about him is his willingness – actually – to try new things.  If those things are athletic in nature, he is virtually certain to sign on.  This year he tried wresting.  Sary-Jo made it to most of his meets, and Randy made a few.  We’ve included a sampling of pictures and some video.  As you can tell on the video, Sary-Jo is a pretty excitable mom when her son is on the wrestling mat!  I don’t know exactly what Daniel’s record was, but he won more than he lost.  More important, he gained some additional confidence and was part of a different team.  We’re very proud of him.  Click on the picture to see more.  Enjoy the video below.

Daniel and David

Last year, Daniel was unable to run in the Haunted Hustle because he got sick.  So, David had to come in first in the 17-and-under category.  As a result of his first-place finish, he was able to compete for free this year.  In the 2013 race, they were both healthy and ran well.  Daniel finished in about 19 minutes (a little under because he didn’t start at the front of the pack).  David finished in less than 21 minutes.  Daniel gets to run for free next year, but David’s name was drawn for a free pair of running shoes!  What a day.

Here’s video of both boys finishing.  And there are plenty of pictures – click on the one showing to see more.